Maita Gomez

In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Favis and the surname or paternal family name is Gomez.

Margarita "Maita" Favis Gomez (May 23, 1947 – July 12, 2012)^[1] was a Filipino scholar, activist, and beauty queen.

Margarita Favis Gomez
Born	Margarita Favis Gomez (1947-05-23)May 23, 1947 Philippines
Died	July 12, 2012(2012-07-12) (aged 65) Quezon City, Philippines
Resting place	Manila Memorial Park
Nationality	Filipino
Other names	Maita Gomez
Occupation	Activist
Years active	1967–2012
Known for	Miss Philippines 1967
Children	Melissa Perez-Rubio Ugarte, Jose Luis Decena, Kris and Antares Bartolome, and Michael Phillip Beltran

In 1967 she won the Miss Philippines–World beauty pageant and went on to represent the country in the Miss World contest.^[2][3] She later became a political, economic, and women's rights advocate, and was active in the Makabayan political movement in the 1980s.^[4]

Early life

Maita was born in 1947 to Jose C. Gomez and Cecilia Favis Gomez, and was one of 7 children: Cita; Patty (d. July 11, 2013); Ditas (d. May 16, 2012); Joe; Naty (d. September 11, 2017); and Migui.

Miss Philippines 1967

She was crowned as Miss Philippines in 1967, and represented the Philippines in Miss World 1967.

Advocacy work

Maita was well known for her political advocacy work. She fought for the liberation of Filipinas and worked hard to fix injustices faced by women. Her advocacy timeline began when she first joined the New People's Army in the 1970s to overthrow the Marcos dictatorship. She got arrested in Baguio in 1973, and escaped prison a few years later thanks to a military asset. She later rejoined the NPA 3 years later and remained until 1980 due to health problems. After resurfacing, she got placed under house arrest until 1984.^[2]

After working in the underground, she founded the Metro Manila chapter of GABRIELA, and became the secretary-general of WOMB (Women for the Ouster of Marcos and Boycott). Both were both organized a year after the assassination of Ninoy Aquino. She also became a deputy director for the St. Scholastica’s College's Women Studies Program in 1985, helping in the drafting of its women's studies curriculum.^[2] Eventually, Marcos was overthrown in 1986.

Post-EDSA Revolution

After Marcos’ ouster, she went back to school. She finished her BS in Sociology (through the non-traditional mode) at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Manila.^[3] She also worked as a manager in a private company.^{[citation needed]} Later, she earned her MA in Development Economics at the UP School of Economics, at the University of the Philippines Diliman.^[3]

She also co-founded the all-women political party KAIBA (Kababaihan para sa Inangbayan)^[4] in 1986.^[5]

Maita was part of the National Council of SELDA (Samahan ng mga Ex-detainee Laban sa Detensyon at pata sa Amnestiya),^[4] which pushed for the freedom of political prisoners. She had also worked with other national democratic organizations such as Makabayan and the IBON Foundation.^[3] In 2012, she helped form the Women Work Well Foundation, which worked to help women in the Philippines find well-paying jobs.^[6] She was also a fellow of Action for Economic Reforms (AER), a think tank focusing on economic and fiscal policies. Her worked in AER covered gender economics, and government policies on public-private partnerships and mining.^[7]

Death

On July 12, 2012, Maita died of a heart attack. One of her children found her dead in her home in Quezon City and realized that she had died of a heart attack in her sleep.^[8][9]

Personal life

Maita is survived by her children Melissa Perez-Rubio Ugarte, Jose Luis Decena, Kris and Antares Bartolome, and Michael Phillip Beltran, as well as their children and spouses.^[2]

Legacy

In recognition of her efforts against Marcos' authoritarian regime, Gomez's name was one of 19 added on November 30, 2016 to the Wall of Remembrance of the Philippines' Bantayog ng mga Bayani (Monument of the Heroes), which is dedicated to individuals who "defied risks and dedicated their life for the cause of truth, justice, peace and freedom for the Filipino people" during the Marcos regime.^[10][11]

References

1. "Martyrs and Heroes: GOMEZ, Margarita F." Bantayog ng mga Bayani. 2016-11-29. from the original on 2017-10-03. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
2. Kravchuk, Max. "Maita Gomez, The Beauty Queen Who Chose Not Live Like One". OneNewsPH. from the original on 2020-05-26. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
3. Titular, Joyce Ann Burton (July 14, 2012). . Adventures of a Beauty Queen. Archived from the original on July 26, 2012. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
4. Pagaduan-Araullo, Carol (July 19, 2012). "Maita Gomez (1947-2012): Beauty transfigured". Bulatlat.com. Business World. from the original on 2020-05-26.
5. Sison, Jose Maria (July 13, 2012). "FIGHTER FOR THE LIBERATION OF WOMEN AND THE PEOPLE". Retrieved May 16, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
6. Bracamonte, Earl (November 27, 2017). "8 Beauty Queens With a Purpose Beyond the Crown". Esquire Magazine. Retrieved May 16, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
7. https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/57603/maita-gomez%E2%80%93from-highborn-beauty-queen-to-queen-of-the-toiling-masses/
8. "Activist and former beauty queen Maita Gomez dies". PEP.ph. July 12, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
9. "Beauty queen-turned-activist Maita Gomez dies". ABS-CBN News. July 12, 2012. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
10. News, G. M. A. "Bantayog ng mga Bayani to honor 19 Martial Law dissidents". Retrieved 2021-08-30. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
11. Torralba, Alanah (2016-12-08). "VERA Files trustee one of 19 freedom fighters honored by Bantayog ng mga Bayani - Vera Files". Vera Files. from the original on 2018-04-20. Retrieved 2018-04-20.